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Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Sheikin’ Up Tradition

Who would have thought that Persian and Southwestern food would taste so good together? The owners of Sheik Burritos & Kabobs did—and they’re absolutely right.

The story of this eatery is simple: One of the owners, Jahan Ostad, is Persian and loves his dad’s home cooking. While getting his undergrad at Arizona Sate University, he worked at local Mexican restaurants and fell in love with both the Southwestern food and the art of cooking. The result—a burrito stuffed with Persian/Southwestern fusion goodness.

The menu is a little complex and sometimes hard to pronounce. You can either build your own burrito, choosing your meat, sauce, and tortilla style, or you can choose from one of the Sheik Specialties.

If it’s your first visit, the owners take the time to explain how the menu works. I’ve tried a couple of the specialty items and absolutely love La Dirka-Dirka: A Persian-style lamb burrito, with rice, yogurt, and red spinach salad.

All the ingredients are fresh, locally-grown, and prepared to order—in other words, healthy. Each burrito is gigantic and served with tortilla chips and tasty garden fresh salsa. The owners are the servers, so the service is quick and attentive. These owners really love and take care of their customers.

THE VERDICT: Definitely a memorable meal and experience. Come enjoy original food, a cold beer, and home-made deserts. This new restaurant is neatly tucked away on the corner of Piedmont and Cheshire Bridge—and is worth the drive if you don’t live in the area.